1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decklid for the rear cargo compartment of an automotive vehicle, including a provision for storing a backlite (rear window) within the decklid and with the decklid being stowable within the rear cargo compartment.
2. Disclosure Information
Automotive designers increasingly seek to add flexibility to automotive designs. Flexibility in design and functionality can increase customer satisfaction and convenience. One area of flexible design known to be especially attractive to consumers is the ability to temporarily modify storage space. Pickup trucks, SUV""s, and other light vans and trucks allow consumers to store and transport larger, or multiple, items not typically transportable in conventional automobiles, but many consumers prefer a standard automobile design for aesthetic reasons or in order to realize better fuel efficiency, lower operating costs, or greater passenger capacity. Many consumers need extended capacity only occasionally, and are unwilling to suffer the disadvantages of a pickup, van, or SUV.
The present inventors have determined that an automobile having a traditional design including a backlite and decklid covering a rear cargo space (a trunk) can be modified to allow storage of the backlite within the decklid, as well as stowage of the decklid within the cargo compartment, or removal of the decklid from the vehicle entirely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,097 illustrates a trunk assembly comprising a rear cargo compartment and a decklid. The system of the ""097 patent allows the decklid to be placed in an open position, a closed position, and a stowed position, such that the stowed position allows the rear cargo compartment to be used as a pickup box. According to another aspect of the ""097 patent, the backlite of the vehicle may be rotatably attached to lie on the top of the stowable decklid, such that the backlite may be removed and stowed with the decklid in the vehicle""s rear cargo compartment. In contrast, the present invention comprises a system wherein the backlite is stored within the decklid itself, which is then stowable either within the vehicle or outside of the vehicle after detachment.
According to the present invention, a system and method allow modification of a rear cargo compartment in an automotive vehicle by permitting storage of the vehicle""s backlite within the decklid, and enlargement of cargo capacity by allowing stowage of the decklid within the rear cargo compartment. The invention also permits an operator to detach the decklid from the vehicle, without tools or extraordinary efforts, for stowage. An operator can advantageously expand the usable cargo space in the rear cargo compartment by storing the vehicle""s backlite within the decklid, thereby creating a xe2x80x9cpacked decklidxe2x80x9d and then stowing the packed decklid in a convenient location within the vehicle or by detaching the packed decklid and removing it to a location outside of the vehicle. The present invention also contemplates that the decklid could be stowed without the backlite, or that the backlite could be stored within the decklid and the decklid remain in its conventional closed position for travel.
The present invention is advantageous because a system according to this invention increases functionality, flexibility and operator convenience for transporting larger items within a vehicle, while permitting enhancement of an open-air driving experience by enabling convenient removal of the backlite from its installed position.
Other advantages, as well as objects and features of the invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification.